Suspect arrested in stabbing, carjacking

San Diego  Police have arrested a man suspected of using a box cutter to stab a man Monday at the Old Town trolley station and then carjacking another man’s car nearby.

The suspect was taken into custody about 4 p.m. in a canyon near Mission Center Road and Interstate 805, police said.

The stabbing was reported about 12:30 p.m. on the trolley. The attacker then ran from the trolley when it stopped at the Old Town station on Taylor Street. The male victim suffered a stab wound to the neck and was taken to a hospital.

The victim had just been struck in a hit-and-run crash and was sitting in his white 1992 Buick LeSabre when the attacker approached him, police said. He punched the victim and forced him from the car before driving off.

The four-door sedan, which has California disabled license plate #37915DP, was seen being driven north on Morena Boulevard.

The abandoned car was located several hours later on the shoulder of northbound Interstate 805 at Mesa College Drive, police said. A CW San Diego 6 cameraman was the person who recognized the vehicle and called it into his newsroom, who in turn called police, Hassen said.

Officers, with help from a helicopter, scoured the canyon and brushy area below the freeway for the assailant. A box cutter was not located in the car, suggesting he might have still been armed.

The attacker was described as white or Latino, in his 40s, heavyset, about 6 feet 3 inches tall, wearing a black nylon jacket and jeans. He was balding in the back and had slight facial hair. The man was first described as black by witnesses, but an officer got a better description after viewing surveillance video of the trolley attack.